Pain Scale and How Injured Workers Can Rate Their Pain

Mar 30, 2022 | Employment Concerns

Pain Scale and How Injured Workers Can Rate Their Pain – In a doctor’s appointment, an injured worker will be asked what’s their pain between 0 and 10, with 0 being no pain and 10 being the worst pain somebody can feel, but who knows what that means? The doctors never go on to describe it further.

Pain Scale and How Injured Workers Can Rate Their Pain

This can lead to a situation where what you say can be used against you, if you say a high number, 9 for example, the doctor might say you’re exaggerating because you complain of having a 9 out of 10 pain but sit comfortably throughout the exam.

What does the pain scale actually mean?

We advise our clients what the pain scale means, with ten being as bad as having thoughts of hurting yourself or a situation where you’re capable of thought but you’re not capable of speaking, eating, or moving.

A 9 would be you can’t get out of bed, your loved one needs to get you to the emergency room, and you’re not eating or going anywhere.

So, when you say 9 or 10, they can completely disregard your pain complaints because they feel like you’re exaggerating. The insurance carrier’s doctor will look for any reason to give the insurance company a way to get out of the claim or a way to minimize the treatment.

We often see cases where the doctor says that the pain and complaints of the injured worker are excessive compared to the findings, so they don’t recommend surgery.